---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is something that matters more than…"
description: "\"“There is something that matters more than any of those things and that is finding the essence of who you are beyond that short-lived entity, that shor..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg"
---

#  There is something that matters more than any of those…

![“There is something that matters more than any of those things and that is finding the essence of who you are beyond that short-lived entity, that short-lived personalized sense of self. You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest…” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg)

> ““There is something that matters more than any of those things and that is finding the essence of who you are beyond that short-lived entity, that short-lived personalized sense of self. You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.””

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True peace comes from recognizing your deepest self, not from changing external circumstances.

**In simple terms:** Peace is found by knowing your true self.

Key Takeaway

Look inward for lasting peace.

Themes

self‑discovery inner peace identity spirituality

Mood

contemplative serene

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- therapy
- meditation retreats
- personal crises
- daily reflection

Key Concepts

mindfulness essence ego dissolution

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of yourself remain constant despite life changes?
- How can you practice self‑realization daily?

A Different Perspective

Changing external conditions alone cannot guarantee inner calm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Finding Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-essence-2337928/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Life Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-realizing-468639/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Realizing Deepest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing-deepest-468638/) [Self Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-peace-228672/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/) [Sense Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-self-236246/)

## Related quotes

> [You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-find-peace-not-by-rearranging-the-circumstances-of-your-life-but/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Many things in your life matter, but only one thing matters absolutely.. It is finding the essence of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/many-things-in-your-life-matter-but-only-one-thing-matters-absolutely/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When one child says to another, "I can do this, I bet you can't"; "My dad has a bigger car than yours"; or, "My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-one-child-says-to-another-i-can-do-this-i-bet-you-can-t-my-dad/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“The first thing to remember is this: As long as you make an identity for yourself out of the pain, you cannot become free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-first-thing-to-remember-is-this-as-long-as-you-make-an-identity/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Through being "right", you feel superior and through feeling superior you strengthen your sense of self. In reality, of course, you are only strengthening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/through-being-right-you-feel-superior-and-through-feeling-superior/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When your sense of self is no longer tied to thought, is no longer conceptual, there is a depth of feeling, of sensing, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-your-sense-of-self-is-no-longer-tied-to-thought-is-no-longer/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [If you identify with a mental position, then if you are wrong, your mind-based sense of self is seriously threatened with annihilation. So you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/if-you-identify-with-a-mental-position-then-if-you-are-wrong-your/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [I get turned on by the idea of an essence - finding the essence of the thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-adhiambo-owuor/i-get-turned-on-by-the-idea-of-an-essence-finding-the-essence-of-the/)

[Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-adhiambo-owuor/)

> [To inflict injustice by instigation of other reflects low esteem,lack of self confidence,spineless personality &amp; above all question mark of selfbeing.For self being &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/to-inflict-injustice-by-instigation-of-other-reflects-low-esteem-lack/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [“The self will be at peace when it is no longer the center of the universe. Only God is large enough to take center…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moorehead/the-self-will-be-at-peace-when-it-is-no-longer-the-center-of-the/)

[Kate Moorehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moorehead/)

> [Without changing one's self, without peace in one's self, world peace is not possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/without-changing-one-s-self-without-peace-in-one-s-self-world-peace/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [“Authentic happiness is not linked to an activity; it is a state of being, a profound emotional balance struck by a subtle understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/authentic-happiness-is-not-linked-to-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-2/)

[Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/)

> [{A poem titled THE SECRET LOVE FOR YOUR FRIEND}Have you ever fell for someone you knew you shouldn't have~&gt; you try your best to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cleveland/a-poem-titled-the-secret-love-for-your-friend-have-you-ever-fell-for/)

[Malcolm Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cleveland/)

> [“When there is peace in the self, there is peace in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/when-there-is-peace-in-the-self-there-is-peace-in-the-world/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“You will not die if you abandon them. You will not lose if you abandon them. You will gain something greater. If you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woo-myung/you-will-not-die-if-you-abandon-them-you-will-not-lose-if-you-abandon/)

[Woo Myung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woo-myung/)

## More by Eckhart Tolle

> [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“A powerful spiritual practice is consciously to allow the diminishment of ego when it happens without attempting to restore it. I recommend that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/a-powerful-spiritual-practice-is-consciously-to-allow-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-become-aware-of-the-subtlety-of-nature-you-need-to-be-alert-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-a-deeper-level-you-are-already-complete-when-you-realize-that/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/life-will-give-you-whatever-experience-is-most-helpful-for-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [You may not yet be able to bring your unconscious mind activity into awareness as thoughts, but it will always be reflected in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-may-not-yet-be-able-to-bring-your-unconscious-mind-activity-into/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“War is a mind-set, and all action that comes out of such a mind-set will either strengthen the enemy, the perceived evil, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/war-is-a-mind-set-and-all-action-that-comes-out-of-such-a-mind-set/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Whenever you step out of the noise of thinking, that is meditation, and a different state of consciousness arises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-step-out-of-the-noise-of-thinking-that-is-meditation-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Get the inside right, and the outside will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/get-the-inside-right-and-the-outside-will-take-care-of-itself/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/most-people-spend-their-entire-life-imprisoned-within-the-confines-of/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“Jeste li zabrinuti? Razmišljate li često: »Što bi bilo da sam...?« To znači da ste se poistovjetili s umom, koji se projicira u neku…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/jeste-li-zabrinuti-razmi-ljate-li-esto-to-bi-bilo-da-sam-to-zna-i-da/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

[Explore all 1,493 Eckhart Tolle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## More Identity quotes

> [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/)

[Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/)

[Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Tell me how much a nation knows about its own language, and I will tell you how much that nation knows about its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/tell-me-how-much-a-nation-knows-about-its-own-language-and-i-will/)

[John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/)

[Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/)

> [“Self-realization or self-knowing or awakening is about knowing/ becoming conscious of our true nature and living in harmony with the universe in an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/self-realization-or-self-knowing-or-awakening-is-about-knowing/)

[Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/)

> [“There are some things that one individual can do for another, and there are some things that one race can do for another. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/there-are-some-things-that-one-individual-can-do-for-another-and/)

[Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/)

> [“Why were there no words that spoke positively about being concerned about the self? Why was there only negative connotation in terms like "selfish",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-dalton/why-were-there-no-words-that-spoke-positively-about-being-concerned/)

[A.J. Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-dalton/)

[Browse all 11,949 Identity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There is something that matters more than any of those things and that is finding the essence of who you are beyond that short-lived entity, that short-lived personalized sense of self. You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eckhart Tolle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-is-something-that-matters-more-than-any-of-those-things-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Identity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-is-something-that-matters-more-than-any-of-those-things-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/eckhart-tolle-81_identity_there-is-something-that-matters-more-tha_1028869.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is something that matters more than any of those things and that is finding the essence of who you are…” — Eckhart Tolle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Eckhart Tolle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There is something that matters more...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-is-something-that-matters-more-than-any-of-those-things-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-is-something-that-matters-more-than-any-of-those-things-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
